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True Success by Tom Morris

One of the most common maladies of our time is a misunderstanding of success. In this book Morris lays out the simple truth about success, what it is and how to have it

Key Takeaways

Socrates determined that most people spend the most attention on the least important things and the least attention on the most important things

There are 7 C’s of Success, 7 components of a successful mindset, 7 means to a successful life

Conception – you need a clear and precise conception of what you want, a vivid vision, a goal or set of goals powerfully imagined

Confidence – you need a strong confidence that you can attain your goals

Concentration – you need a focused concentration on what it takes to reach your goal

Consistency – you need a stubborn consistency in pursuing our vision, a determined persistence in thought and action

Commitment – you need an emotional commitment to the importance of what you’re doing and to the people with whom you are doing it

Character – you need a good character to guide you and keep you on a proper course

Capacity – you need a capacity to enjoy the process along the way

If you’re after power, understand power for what purpose

The happiest people in the world are people who love what they are doing, regardless of whether wealth, fame, power and elevated social status ever come their way. The happiest people in the world realize that true success is up to them – using their talents and following their heart to bring about important change in their lives and lives of others

Self-knowledge is the greatest source of personal power on this earth

We need to put aside time to simply sit and think – to understand ourselves, what we want, what we love and value

Goals must be clear and specific

Satisfaction Audit – asking yourself what you like and dislike in your life and how to go about changing what you dislike

Self-knowledge, self-discovery and self-definition

Our values give rise to our goals

Goals and desires are subtly but very different – you can’t have a goal that you don’t intend to act on

Imagination is more important than knowledge

Losers visualize the penalties of failure where winners visualize the rewards of success

Good to ask yourself what the worst case scenario is – it is often not nearly as bad as we initially make it out to be

Do everything to the best of your ability – that way you can look back on your life with no/few regrets

Celebrate, no matter how small, whenever you reach a goal

Whenever you achieve your goals, you must set yourself new goals immediately

We all need support when we confront something difficult – need cheerleaders (Stutman)

It’s easy to underestimate the power of negative thinking

Precursive faith – faith that runs ahead of evidence

You can’t please everybody. Don’t even try and don’t let it bother you

Nothing worth doing is easy

By learning how not to do something, you put yourself in a position so that you’ll be able to do it. Failure = learning

Aim to be a realistic optimist

Important to communicate confidence to yourself with self-talk and to others through how you carry yourself, what you do, how you speak/dress, etc.

One of the most elusive traits today is self-esteem, aim to be moderately high in this arena

Third party compliments do amazing things (Stutman)

Nothing builds your own confidence like the hard work of good preparation

The most consistently lucky people happen to be those who are best prepared

“Everything we do can be, in one way or another, preparation for what we can contribute in this life. The good we do, and even the mistakes we make, can prepare us for greater good. But I cannot stress too much the importance of deliberate, thoughtful and specific creative preparation for any success we hope to attain.”

Most people underestimate their limits and underestimate their strengths

Intelligent preparation can make hard work much easier – knowledge itself is leverage

Little things mean a lot and can make all the difference

Expect the unexpected – even the best plans are made with incomplete knowledge

What seems very bad at the time can turn out to be very good in the end

Fail soon, fail often, fail forward

No matter what, always learn from your failures

Do not think that a successful plan, thought process, goal, etc. will translate into a different context

Always look for the sages – the guys who have been around forever and have seen a lot

Most successful people love to magnify their success through younger people

Must know when to be stubborn and consistent in your goal but also when to be flexible in your approach

Energy, enthusiasm, emotional commitment is the ultimate aphrodisiac. People are attracted to people who care

“By the work one knows the workman” – Jean de la Fontaine

Successful living and successful working is a process of self-discovery, self-invention, self-discipline and self-indulgence

Make everything sacred. Aim to only have beautiful things around you

Have to work in renewal and relaxation – learn when to take a break, stretch out, gain perspective and slow down. Better to sprint and rest than slowly trot along (The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working)

Selfishness is self-destructive

Elevate characteristics and not people

Arete = excellence, virtue (human excellence and ethics are one in the same)

“I believe I have an ethical obligation to be the best I can be in everything I do, across a broad range of activities, compatible with the realities of my situation.”

Avoid compartmentalization – integrate all parts of your life

“True success is best thought of not as a far off destination, or an end state of any kind, but as a process, a dynamic process of successful living…Enjoyment should not be the end goal but interwoven through the way.”